Education Policy in Developing Countries

Glewwe Paul

Almost any economist will agree that education plays a key role in determining a country's economic growth and standard of living, but what we know about education policy in developing countries is remarkably incomplete and scattered over decades and across publications".Education Policy in Developing Countries" rights this wrong, taking stock of twenty years of research to assess what we actually know – and what we still need to learn – about effective education policy in the places that need it the most.

Surveying many aspects of education – from administrative structures to the availability of health care to parent and student incentives – the contributors synthesize an impressive diversity of data, paying special attention to the gross imbalances in educational achievement that still exist between developed and developing countries. They draw out clear implications for governmental policy at a variety of levels, conscious of economic realities such as budget constraints, and point to crucial areas where future research is needed. Offering a wealth of insights into one of the best investments a nation can make, "Education Policy in Developing Countries" is an essential contribution to this most urgent field.

About the Author

Paul Glewwe is professor in the Department of Applied Economics at the University of Minnesota and for thirteen years before that was a research economist at the World Bank. He is the author or co-editor of several books, most recently "Economic Growth, Poverty, and Household Welfare in Vietnam".

Reviews

"'Education Policy in Developing Countries' raises the bar in terms of what qualifies as a high-quality study. It goes in-depth into what are perhaps the most important and promising education policy reforms, providing an unbiased and exhaustive review of the evidence and thus a new benchmark that hopefully will be followed in all subsequent research on education policy in developing countries" – Emiliana Vegas, Chief of the Education Division, Inter-American Development Bank

"'Education Policy in Developing Countries' provides an interesting overview of critical aspects in education in developing countries, bringing together new ideas and perspectives in strong and well-crafted chapters. It is unique in the way it discusses a large range of topics, offering a much-needed summary of the recent explosion of rigorous evidence in this field. It will appeal to economists and others researchers working on education and development economics" – Felipe Barrera-Osorio, Harvard University

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